RICHARD MAYHEW, “Minuet,” 2002 (oil on canvas, 20 x 24 inches / 50.8 x 60.96 cm). | ©️Estate of Richard Mayhew, Courtesy ACA Galleries, NY
THE LUMINOUS LANDSCAPES of Richard Mayhew (1924-2024) evoke a sense of spiritual transcendence. Mayhew pictured abstracted and imagined places that evince expansive meadows and watercolor vistas, often in a palette of electric color. He referred to his paintings as “mindscapes.” A posthumous survey of the artist is currently on view at ACA Galleries in New York.
A Marine veteran of African American and Native American ancestry, Mayhew was born near Amityville, N.Y., and lived and worked in Santa Cruz, Calif, the last two decades of his life. He was the last living member of Spiral, the short-lived collective co-founded by Romare Bearden in New York (1963-65). Spiral was formed in the lead up to the March on Washington, bringing the group together to consider the role of the Black artist in the fight for civil rights and social justice and discuss common aesthetic challenges.
An artist and educator, Mayhew died on Sept. 26, 2024, at age 100. Weeks after his death, Venus Over Manhattan gallery in New York presented “Richard Mayhew: Watercolor.” Venus Over Manhattan announced its representation of the artist in 2023. ACA Galleries worked with the artist for nearly 30 years, from 1996 to 2024. The current exhibition is the second posthumous presentation of his work.
“Richard Mayhew: Life in Art” features 27 oil paintings and watercolor on paper works, produced between the mid-1960s and 2015. Many of the works on view are borrowed from private collections. Some are for sale, others are not. “All my paintings are based on emotion, Mayhew said in 2018. “I actually use landscape image as a metaphor for the feeling of time and illusion.” CT
“Richard Mayhew: A Life in Art” is on view at ACA Galleries, New York, N.Y., from Jan. 21-Feb. 15, 2025
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Installation view of “Richard Mayhew: A Life in Art,” ACA Galleries, New York, N.Y. (Jan. 21-Feb. 15, 2025). | ©️Estate of Richard Mayhew, Courtesy ACA Galleries, NY
RICHARD MAYHEW, “Mission Valley,” 1993 (oil on canvas, 26 x 30 inches / 66.0 x 76.2 cm). | ©️Estate of Richard Mayhew, Courtesy ACA Galleries, NY
Installation view of “Richard Mayhew: A Life in Art,” ACA Galleries, New York, N.Y. (Jan. 21-Feb. 15, 2025). Shown, at right, “Fox Run,” 1988. | ©️Estate of Richard Mayhew, Courtesy ACA Galleries, NY
RICHARD MAYHEW, “Fox Run,” 1988 (oil on canvas, 53 x 72 inches / 134.6 x 182.9 cm). | ©️Estate of Richard Mayhew, Courtesy ACA Galleries, NY
Installation view of “Richard Mayhew: A Life in Art,” ACA Galleries, New York, N.Y. (Jan. 21-Feb. 15, 2025). | ©️Estate of Richard Mayhew, Courtesy ACA Galleries, NY
RICHARD MAYHEW, “Southern Border,” 2003 (oil on canvas, 24 x 30 inches / 61.0 x 76.2 cm). | ©️Estate of Richard Mayhew, Courtesy ACA Galleries, NY
Installation view of “Richard Mayhew: A Life in Art,” ACA Galleries, New York, N.Y. (Jan. 21-Feb. 15, 2025). | ©️Estate of Richard Mayhew, Courtesy ACA Galleries, NY
RICHARD MAYHEW, “Monterey Series #4,” 1996 (watercolor on paper, 13 3/4 x 16 3/4 inches / 34.9 x 42.5 cm). | ©️Estate of Richard Mayhew, Courtesy ACA Galleries, NY
Installation view of “Richard Mayhew: A Life in Art,” ACA Galleries, New York, N.Y. (Jan. 21-Feb. 15, 2025). Shown, left to right, “Spring Overture” (2002) and “Transition” (2004). | ©️Estate of Richard Mayhew, Courtesy ACA Galleries, NY
RICHARD MAYHEW, “Transition,” 2004 (oil on canvas, 48 x 60 inches / 121.92 x 152.4 cm). | ©️Estate of Richard Mayhew, Courtesy ACA Galleries, NY
RICHARD MAYHEW, “Path,” circa 1965 (oil on canvas, 21 x 18 inches / 53.3 x 45.7 cm). | ©️Estate of Richard Mayhew, Courtesy ACA Galleries, NY
Installation view of “Richard Mayhew: A Life in Art,” ACA Galleries, New York, N.Y. (Jan. 21-Feb. 15, 2025). Shown, from left, “Path” (circa 1965) and “Oratorio” (2000). | ©️Estate of Richard Mayhew, Courtesy ACA Galleries, NY
RICHARD MAYHEW, “Oratorio,” 2000 (oil on canvas, 52 x 60 inches / 132.08 x 152.4 cm). | ©️Estate of Richard Mayhew, Courtesy ACA Galleries, NY
Installation view of “Richard Mayhew: A Life in Art,” ACA Galleries, New York, N.Y. (Jan. 21-Feb. 15, 2025). Shown, left to right, “Misty Mystic” (circa 2012) and “Santa Cruz Series #40” (n.d.) | ©️Estate of Richard Mayhew, Courtesy ACA Galleries, NY
RICHARD MAYHEW, “Misty Mystic,” circa 2012 (oil on canvas, 30 x 40 inches / 76.2 x 101.6 cm). | ©️Estate of Richard Mayhew, Courtesy ACA Galleries, NY
